Sunday, August 31, 2014

The metric system is supposed to be the legal unit of
measure in Canada. The federal government began implementing the system back in
the early 1970's.

The concept of a base 10 system seems relatively simple.
However, the problem is in the conversion.

Here in Canada, my generation (baby boomers) and those
before me, grew up using the Imperial system. We were used to imperial. We knew
how to do things and how to shop for things in imperial. We weighed things in
pounds and ounces. We measured height/distance in inches, feet, yards and
miles. Even our rural roads are generally laid out in miles. We measured land
in acres. We bought liquids in ounces, pints, quarts and gallons. Our recipes
were in teaspoons, tablespoons and cups. Our temperatures were in Fahrenheit.

Over the ensuing years, ALL Canadians were
expected to learn and adapt to grams, kilos, centimeters, meters, kilometers,
hectares, millilitres, litres and Celsius.

I was in junior high at the time, and like many of my
peers, found the system somewhat confusing. Even though we were taught how to convert to metric, our instincts
were more attuned to what we'd already learned of the imperial system.

Adapting to metric was even harder to comprehend for most
of our parents and grandparents!

The general public was provided with conversion charts
and instructions on how to convert the various measures. Note, that this was in
the days long before the internet or mini calculators. We did the conversion in
our heads or with pencil and paper!

It wasn't an easy sell. Despite the best efforts of the
government and those who supported the switch, it has been an expensive and
tedious process to get us to think metric.

Thankfully the system was introduced over several years -
but it hasn't made it any easier to adjust for those of us who grew up with
imperial.

Today - just over 40 years after it was first introduced -
metric is still a bit of a mixed bag in Canada. Some items are sold strictly in
metric while many others are advertized and labeled in both imperial and
metric. Most people have generally gotten used to buying liquids (including
gasoline) in litres, but adjusting from pounds to kilograms, teaspoons to
millilitres and so on is a bit harder.

For instance. an inch is 2.54cm. There are 36 inches is a
yard but the metric equivalent of a yard is a meter which is actually 39.37
inches. Three inches can make a lot of difference! Luckily, most
rulers and measuring tapes are still sold with both metric and imperial!

Even so, measurements can be quite off if you aren't
really careful what/how you are measuring.

This is especially true when it comes to food - both in selling
and in preparation. Some products are labeled in both systems. Dairy, deli and
bulk foods are labeled primarily in metric with only some carrying the imperial
unit price in smaller print. Meat is advertized in pounds with metric in small
print, often labeled in both at the meat counter but sold by the kilo. Produce
is advertized and generally labeled in pounds but sold in kilos. Canned/packaged
products are frequently labeled in both systems.

Temperatures
are reported in Celsius, but many of us still think in Fahrenheit especially
when it comes to oven temperatures. Confusion abounds if you post temperatures
in Celsius on social media sites. The Fahrenheit people in the US and other
countries think that 25C sounds downright cold since many think that means 25F
which would be below freezing. WRONG! 25C is actually a comfy 77F! The formulas
for temp conversion are as follows:

F to
C Deduct 32, then multiply by 5, then
divide by 9

C to
F Multiply by 9, then divide by 5, then
add 32

Confused?
Join the club! Yes, there are all kinds of conversion charts and apps available
for anyone with an internet connection but we should know how to do at least a
little bit of it in our heads or with a pencil and paper shouldn't we?

So, what about those who started school after the
conversion started as well as the youth of today and of the future? I asked
some acquaintances with current connections to schools (teachers and students)
if Imperial is even being taught. To my surprise, only metric is being taught in most Canadian schools. Some
curriculum's offer a very short section within science or math programs on
conversions but many aren't even bothering to teach students how to convert to
either system.

I also learned that some schools aren't even teaching
home economics anymore. Among those that are, the students are maybe getting an 80 minute class once
per week/cycle for a semester! That's not even enough time to get a basic grasp
of cooking let alone preparing recipes! Unless a student has been taught
imperial measures in the home or elsewhere, they have no clue as to what a cup,
tablespoon or teaspoon even are! (FYI, in the 1970's, the home economics
classes in my school were a half day/6 day cycle - half the year in food and
the other half in sewing.)

Given our close economic ties and physical proximity to
the USA - which has not switched to metric - the Imperial measures are still a
dominant force in our society and especially online. So those of us who haven't
adapted can still find pretty much anything we need with a bit of effort.

Back when I was in school, I was quite good in math and
actually understood metric fairly well - I just didn't like the conversion
part. Almost 40 years later, I've
forgotten most of what I knew. I can still do some rough calculations in
conversion while grocery shopping but I often have to stop and think about it
or grab a calculator.

As for the students that are only being taught metric? Yes,
as I stated above, there are umpteen "apps for that" but being able
to do at least some basic math and conversion without the use of apps would go
a long way in educating and preparing younger generations for the future. Without
that, I fear we are raising generations of young people who will be woefully
ill prepared for the realities of living and working in the real world. Not to
mention that their lack of cooking knowledge/skills is leaving them at the
mercy of the convenience/prepackaged world of food.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

During
the summer, I rarely turn on my oven. My apartment has no AC, which means that
even with fans, the place can get warm in a hurry! So, a lot of my evening
meals are salad plates or various kinds of salads.

One
of my faves is a pasta salad! There is SO much you can do with a pasta salad!
I cook up the pasta in the morning while the kitchen is still relatively cool.
After draining and rinsing the pasta, I either make up the salad for that day's
evening meal or store the pasta in an air tight container in the fridge till
I'm ready to make the salad. I also switch up the type of pasta for more
variety. I've used broken linguini or fettuccini for a Greek or Italian
inspired pasta salad in the past, but my go to pastas tend to be macaroni, baby
shells, spiral/corkscrew or the rainbow mix. I generally buy Catelli brand
pasta as I like the quality and flavour. It goes on sale fairly often in this
part of the country so I just buy an extra box or two when my supplies are
running low.

There
really aren't any rules to making a pasta salad - other than adding some kind
of pasta of course! You can add as many different veggies as you want in
whatever quantities you want. You can add fish such as tuna or salmon. How
about ham, shredded pork, beef, chicken or turkey? Cheese can also be a great
addition for texture and flavour. Lots of possibilities there! Personally, I go
fairly light on the protein and dairy for the salads - choosing to focus more
on the veggies and pasta. The choice is yours though, so feel free to play with
quantities!

Seasonings
- both fresh and dried such as, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic
powder or a blend such as the "No Salt Added" ones made by
McCormick's add a great dimension to the flavour! I use the McCormick's blends for seasoning SO many dishes as it adds great flavour without the salt! Lots of flavours to choose from on the spice aisle! The dressing can be as simple
as mayo, some bottled dressing or a homemade favourite!

A
full on pasta salad is a meal in itself! With all the veggies,
meat/fish/poultry, cheese and pasta it has all the food groups covered in one
dish! Whole wheat pastas and a light
dressing also help to reduce calories! Without the fish, meat or poultry, this
is still a great salad on its own or you can serve it alongside grilled meat,
poultry or fish.

As
you can see, the possibilities are pretty much deliciously endless!

Today,
I'm sharing my basic Pasta Salad. This can be made with canned tuna, salmon or
a variety of other proteins. Check the notes at the bottom. I've also included
a note with other suggestions for dressings.

I'm
posting two versions of this recipe. The first is for 4-6 servings. The second
is for a single serving. I make the single serving more often than not, but I
still cook the full amount of pasta as for the 4-6 serving, then store covered
in the fridge to make each days salad fresh. The cooked pasta (without ANY of the additional ingredients!) can
be kept in the fridge for up to four days. Any fully prepared salad should be
eaten within two days.

Pasta
Salad

4
cups cooked pasta such as elbow, corkscrew/spiral, baby shells or rainbow mix
(that's about 2 cups of the dried pasta before cooking)

1 170gram/6ounce
can tuna (packed in water), drained*

1/3
cup chopped celery

1/3
cup chopped carrots

1/3
cup chopped green onion

1/3
cup diced red or orange sweet bell pepper

1/3
cup chopped broccoli florets

1/3
cup diced mushrooms (about 3 large or 4 medium white)

1/3
cup diced cucumber (I prefer long english as no need to peel or seed)

In a
large bowl, gently combine all but the last TWO ingredients. If the
mixture seems too dry, add 1 Tablespoon more dressing at a time, mixing thoroughly
to combine. Repeat with another Tablespoon if necessary.

Divide
the torn lettuce leaves evenly between four dinner sized serving plates. Place
the lettuce in a ring around the edge of the plate.

Divide the combined salad
ingredients among the four plates - leaving at least a bit of the lettuce
showing around the rim. Garnish with the tomatoes - either on top of the
lettuce around the edge or on top of the salad.

Serves 4 as an entrée. This
could also be divided into 6 servings on luncheon sized plates if smaller
portions are desired. Add a serving of bread such as a baking powder biscuit, baguette,
french, or focaccia on the side of each plate if desired.

*
Rather than the tuna, you can substitute canned salmon, (skin and bones
removed), 1/2 - 2/3 cup diced ham or diced cooked chicken/turkey, shredded
cooked pork or shredded/diced cooked beef (2 - 3 Tablespoons for the single
serving). A little fish, meat or poultry goes a long way in a pasta salad!

**
Rather than using Ranch or Caesar as the dressing, you could substitute with
1/2 cup of a bottled dressing such as Sweet Onion Dressing (pictured below), Italian, Roasted
Red Pepper, Greek, or Sun Dried Tomato. You could also use a light mayo such as
Miracle Whip or a homemade dressing. Add the dressing and combine. If it seems
a bit too dry, add an additional
Tablespoon of your chosen dressing at a time - mixing after each addition so
you don't saturate the salad. If making the "Pasta Salad (single serving)"
add about 2 Tablespoons of the dressing to start and more if needed.

About Me

I was born in the late 50's and raised on a prairie farm. I've lived in Winnipeg since 1984. I have always had low vision but have been legally blind since 1990.
I have a wickedly warped sense of humour and love to laugh.
My interests include; music, baking, cooking, mysteries and much more.
You will learn more about me as you read the posts.